What does it mean to be human? Why do we feel and behave in the ways that we do? The classic answer is that we have a special kind of intelligence. But to understand what we are as humans, we also need to know what we are like motivationally. And what is central to this story, what is special about human motivation, is that humans want to share with others their inner experiences about the world--share how they feel, what they believe, and what they want to happen in the future. They want to create a shared reality with others. People have a shared reality together when they experience having in common a feeling about something, a belief about something, or a concern about something. They feel connected to another person or group by knowing that this person or group sees the world the same way that they do--they share what is real about the world. In this work, Dr. Higgins describes how our human motivation for shared reality evolved in our species, and how it develops in our children as shared feelings, shared practices, and shared goals and roles. Shared reality is crucial to what we believe--sharing is believing. It is central to our sense of self, what we strive for and how we strive. It is basic to how we get along with others. It brings us together in fellowship and companionship, but it also tears us apart by creating in-group "bubbles" that conflict with one another. Our shared realities are the best of us, and the worst of us.

About the Author
E. Tory Higgins is the Stanley Schachter Professor of Psychology, Professor of Business, and Director of the Motivation Science Center at Columbia University. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He is the author of Beyond Pleasure and Pain: How Motivation Works (Oxford, 2012). He has received the Distinguished Scientist Award (the Society of Experimental Social Psychology), the Anneliese Maier Research Award (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation), the William James Fellow Award for Distinguished Achievements in Psychological Science (the American Psychological Society), and the American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions. He is also a recipient of Columbia University's Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching and the Ambady Award for Mentoring Excellence (Society for Personality and Social Psychology).

Reviews
Higgins (Columbia Univ.), himself the author of regulatory focus theory, here shares his encyclopedic knowledge of social psychology to argue that what makes us human is the evolutionary advantage conferred by our acquired ability to share realities with each otherThe book will be of particular value to those who share Higgins's interest in promotion and prevention typologies of human behavior, yet it certainly will delight most social psychologists. The literature and research cited includes almost every important contributor and significant experiment in the discipline over the past 50 years. * CHOICE *
Professor Higgins has nominated a novel and brilliant answer to the essential question of what makes us human: the motivation to create shared realities with those around us. Not only does he propose this answer, he supports it with sound logic and reams of evidence that had me compelled before I was halfway through * Robert Cialdini, Author of Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade *
Tory Higgins has given everyone interested in the motivation of behavior a deep and wide-ranging synthesis. His book is a splendid resource for anyone concerned with the springs of ethical life. * Philip Kitcher, Author of The Ethical Project *
Humans inhabit a world of conventions, norms, institutions, and other forms of shared reality. In a very personal and at the same time very learned way, Higgins explores this world and how humans enter into and participate in it. An excellent and very informative book. * Michael Tomasello, Author of Becoming Human: A Theory of Ontogeny *
This milestone volume affords rare insights into a psychological phenomenon of seismic significance: the creation and dissolution of shared realities, responsible at once for the miracle of human progress, and the demise of civility. An absolute must read to anyone interested in the mystery of human nature. In my own work on the psychology of terrorists, I find the shared reality concept indispensable to understanding how they view what they do as sacred and heroic while the rest of society sees it as heinous and despicable. * Arie W. Kruglanski, Co-Author of The Three Pillars of Radicalization: Needs, Narratives, and Networks *
In this fascinating book, one of America's greatest research psychologists addresses a central if often overlooked feature of human nature. Combining provocative research findings with entertaining anecdotes, Higgins shows how people match their private opinions to what they believe others think. Anyone interested in the interpersonal dimension of the human mind should read this book. * Roy F. Baumeister, Author of The Cultural Animal: Human Nature, Meaning, and Social Life *



Book Information
ISBN 9780190948054
Author E. Tory Higgins
Format Hardback
Page Count 344
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 635g
Dimensions(mm) 163mm * 239mm * 25mm